All Deliberate Speed
by HermioneFTW
Summary: Living in London and graduated from Durmstrang, Hermione Granger is having second thoughts about dating world famous seeker, Viktor Krum. Can a certain new stranger justify these feelings for her?
1. Routines

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Harry Potter.

This is my first Fan-Fiction. I'm testing out the waters to see how I like it!

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If you have never met Hermione Granger, you wouldn't know that she is one of the most prominent witches of her age. Not only does her magic exceed that of others, she's also dating the worlds most famous Quidditch seeker. Twenty one year old Hermione has been dating Viktor Krum since her seventh year at Durmstrang Institute for Magical Learning. Despite his fame, Viktor was always humble, and Hermione believes that he is a genuinely good person.

"I'm on my way to work Viktor. Don't forget to take out the trash and put the clothes in the washer!" Hermione said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Goodbye sweetheart," Viktor said returning the kiss.

Hermione smiled at him, although she still had not managed to say "I love you" since they have been dating.

Hermione's smile fell as she walked out of hers and Viktor's London flat, into the rain, and down to the bus stop to catch the bus to work at the Ministry of Magic. Her career consisted of improving the and lives and wellness of house elves in the Department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures, and as the head of the department, she makes sure everyone else is living up to her expectations.

At Durmstrang she had always been fond of caring for house elves, considering their "slavery" towards their life long masters.

It was the most normal day Hermione could imagine. Everyday consists of waking up and fixing breakfast for herself and Viktor, dressing for work, taking the bus to the Ministry, buying groceries in downtown London if she needed to, and cooking dinner for herself and Viktor. It was a never-ending cycle that she was starting to dread.

As Hermione stepped onto the bus, she sighed, looking at her watch. She was almost already late for work when the bus had arrived, dragging her feet to the back of the bus. There was something in the back of her head as she sat down that told her not to go to work today.

Hermione watched out the window of the bus as the rain fell from the sky, forming puddles on the sidewalk where small children jumped as their parents held their hand.

"_I'm not going to work today."_ She told herself.

She looked at her watch again. It was 8:15am, and she was already late for work anyway.

Looking around at the other sullen looking, working class attendees on the bus, she decided to take a stop at Diagon Alley.

"_Might as well just not go to work today. I do not feel like myself, maybe I'll just go shopping and take a look at new robes, or new books to take my mind off of things..."_

She pulled the cord to request a stop a couple blocks away from where Diagon Alley is located, only accessible to the Wizarding world. It felt good for once to skip out on work considering she worked 5 or 6 days a week, depending on the season, and hasn't missed a day since she began working there.

"I should call my boss... wait, I am the boss... Maybe I should just let Kingsley know. I've only worked my arse there off for the past 3 years..."

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Walking in downtown London, Hermione reaches the Leaky Cauldron to get to Diagon Alley, unaware of the strange looks she gets as she passes the bar inside. 

"Hello Tom!"

"Hermione, what are you up to today? Got the day off?"

"Sort of, I decided to skip work today, but that's only between you and I!" she smiled.

"Always good to take a day off.. Goin' shopping are ya?" Tom said.

"Yes sir."

"Have yourself a good one." Tom smiled, as she crossed the Inn, out into Diagon Alley.

Today Hermione was going to take it easy. She was going to shop for herself, forget about Viktor, and wander to her hearts content. Although she isn't so sure how these "forgetting about Viktor" feelings came to be, Hermione thinks she should see where they lead her in the next few days before she starts seriously thinking about doing anything drastic. Maybe it was just because it was that time of the month, or maybe it was the stress of work that was making these feelings go to her head.

She nodded at passing wizards and shopkeepers as she strolled down to Flourish and Botts, taking in her first day off during the week since Christmas

"_Hmm, this seems interesting."_ Hermione thought to herself as she picked up a biography about the man himself who ended the war against Voldemort, Harry Potter. She looked that the cover and saw a man with emerald green eyes and messy black hair staring at her smiling and laughing.

"Why not, I've only ever heard about him in the news."

She approached the cashier and purchased the new book.

"Good biography I hear!" Said the cashier.

"Hope so!" Hermione smiled.

Hermione walked out of Flourish and Botts with her brand new biography about the boy who lived.

Walking further down Diagon Alley, and window shopping at passing stores, Hermione spotted a store similar to a carnival with bright lights and groups of children and teenagers and adults alike, admiring the many items this store seems to offer.

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" she says to herself, and she gives the store a curious look.

"_Why not, I'm not in a hurry, I'll just stop in and take a look at what everyone is ogling at..." _She thought.

Hermione walked around the crowds of giggling teenage girls that were eyeing_Wonderwitch _love potions.

"_Extendable ears...Pygmy Puffs...Ton-Tongue Toffee...Skiving Snackboxes?"_

She read the labels to the items in her head as she observed the practical joke objects in awe.

Hermione had never heard of this shop, let alone seen any of the times she was in Diagon Alley. Perhaps it was because she had never had the time to walk this far down the alley, because she certainly would have spotted the carnival-like shop in passing.

"Ma'am, can I assist you in any way?" said a tall, red-headed assistant who smiled at her, possibly thinking she may have walked into this childish joke shop by mistake.

Hermione turned her head and stared at his bright watery blue eyes.

"Oh thank you, but I'm just looking. I've never see your shop here for all the times I've passed

through Diagon, and I thought I'd take a look..." Hermione smiled at him.

The man stood there for a second and saw the bag she had from Flourish and Botts. He was so tall it was quite easy to see what was in the bag.

"Harry Potter." he said.

"Excuse me?" Hermione said turning to him.

"You bought his biography. He's my best friend. My name is Ron. No joke, but maybe you'll read my name somewhere in that book." He smiled at her.

Hermione looked at him and gave him a half smile.

"You look familiar. Did you go to Hogwarts?" said Ron

"Can't say I did." she said.

"Oh ok."

"Well, since you're new to the shop, here is something for you to start out with."

Ron pulled out an extendable ear out of his pocket and handed it to Hermione.

"Extendable ears, use them to eavesdrop. They're fun, until you get caught." He winked at her.

She laughed. "Thank you for the complimentary gift."

"Now don't get used to it!" He laughed.

Hermione looked at her watch. "Oh I must get going. You see, I didn't exactly go to work today, and I have to be home in time to fix dinner for my...err...friend. She's visiting from Scotland."

For some reason, Hermione didn't want this new, seemingly intriguing stranger to know that she was in fact dating Viktor Krum. Ron seemed like a charming guy, and maybe this is what she needed to justify her the feelings she had been experiencing toward Viktor in the past two weeks.

"It was nice meeting you." said a smiling Hermione, as she turned around and walked out of Weasley's Wizard Wheeze's.

Ron waved at her as she walked away.

Hermione walked out of the shop smiling for some odd reason. She had rarely had this feeling, but it was nice to meet someone new.

"Wait...wait!" a voice said.

Hermione turned around., stopping in front of Madam Malkins.

She saw that Ron was hanging out of the door to his shop.

"What's your name?!" Ron yelled, as she was 4 stores past Weasley's Wizard Wheeze's.

She laughed at herself and looked down at her feet for a second. Hermione looked up.

"Hermione!" She yelled back at him.

"Nice meeting you Hermione!" Ron yelled as he flashed a smile in her direction.

She smiled back at him, turned on her heel, and disappeared into the crowd of witches and wizards.

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Read and Review, Tell me what I'm doing wrong and what I should improve on, considering this is my first fic! 


	2. An Unexpected Run In

**Here's the next chapter, hope someone is reading!**

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Ron groaned as he stalked up the stairs to his and George's 2 bedroom flat that sat above Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. He wasn't sure if he was in a bad mood because he was tired of working at the shop, or because he couldn't find a job that was better than watching kids play with extendable ears all day.

Maybe it was because he met a girl who he thought he'd never see again.

"She seemed so familiar..." he thought while sitting in his armchair in the living room as George concocted something up for dinner. Something in his brain told him that she was hiding something. Or maybe it was him, and he just couldn't figure out what was wrong with the picture in his head.

As the week went by, he mostly thought about this mystery girl when he was at work, hoping that she might pop up to buy a gift for a friend. Mostly, Ron hoped that she would stop by to see him, ask him on a date, and fall madly in love with him. Things like that on ly happen in fairy tales, he thought to himself.

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If there was one thing Hermione hated more than Viktor forgetting to take out the trash, it was Viktor not picking up after himself.

"I can't take this anymore." she thought to herself, picking up a plate of what looked like a half eaten piece of cheesecake. Or maybe it was cottage cheese. Whichever it was, she was hoping not to purge in the process of throwing it out.

"Viktor, could you please pick up after yourself? I'm really getting quite tired of having to do all of the housework by myself. Just because I'm a woman, doesn't mean that I have to do all of the chores! All I ask it to pick up your garbage!" Her voice got higher as she spoke to him from the living room.

"Hermione, calm down, so I forgot to pick up a plate! Can't I be allowed one mistake without you yelling at me?"

"Viktor you have seriously had too many bludgers to the head. You never do ANYTHING that I ask! You can't even take out the trash, even when I do basically EVERYTHING else around here."

Viktor rolled his eyes when she turned around to throw Viktor's dirty dishes into the kitchen sink.

"I've said this before, and I'll say it again. My flat, MY rules!" Hermione said as she cleaned the dishes. At this point she was getting so fed up with him.

"You know what, maybe I should just leave your precious flat. It's not like I can't afford one myself. In fact, maybe we should take a break Hermione. I can't stand this constant fighting!" Viktor said, standing up.

Hermione looked at him from the kitchen. She felt herself lighten up a bit, but didn't want him to notice that this is what she had been looking for. It was so Hermione-like to keep at the fight, making it worse, because she just could never bring herself to lose, even if it was over something stupid.

"You are right Viktor. We need a break. And while you're at it, I suggest finding your own place to live. I'm kicking you out. Treat your house like a dump, not mine!"

"Fine." Viktor said in a stern voice, grabbing his coat. "I'll be back for my stuff, just letting you know. Have a nice life."

He stomped out of her flat and slammed the door behind him, stopping as soon as he walked down the few steps onto the sidewalk, halfway hoping that she'd come after him. She never did. Hermione heard from inside that he had disapparated.

For some odd reason, she felt proud of herself. She was free. She had the place to herself. She was single, and hoping to find the young man from that odd joke store, whose blue eyes had captured her attention.

* * *

It was the weekend, and Hermione was ready for it. Planning out her weekend to a tee. It would start out with herself on the couch with a bucket of rocky road ice cream, along with fresh pizza from the local pizzeria, and a few girly movies lined up with her best friend, Crookshanks.

Of course there were no formal plans, like dates, or going to the bar with some friends, just a relaxing weekend by herself, because since she had been dating Viktor, she had never had much time to herself.

One thing she did want to do though was stop by Diagon Alley to pick up a few groceries. And maybe even run into someone. Ok, maybe she was making the excuse of getting groceries because there was a perfectly good store on the next block...

After getting out of work early on Friday night, she decided to head down to the bus and grab what she needed for her girls night in. Needless to say, she of course decided that this was the opportunity to head to Diagon Alley. It was so not like her to just, go after some random guy, but for some reason her heart was telling her that this one was different, and that she should try something that she normally wouldn't.

As she stepped outside of her flat into the cold winter air, she seemed to have the best feeling about the rest of her weekend, even if she weren't to find Ron.

The bus had come by just in time as she arrived at the stop. Pulling off her gloves, she sat down in a chair and wondered if there was a possibility that they would meet again today.

The bus had reached her stop a few blocks away from Diagon Alley. Hermione pulled her gloves out of her coat and threw them on before the cold, rigid air reached her hands.

She reached the familiar alley after and treaded to the joke store. As it got closer, she got more and more nervous, now wishing she hadn't made this trip. Walking past the shop once, she knew she had to go in, afraid that he might have seen her peering in, not to mention she had made the trip solely to walk into this shop.

Hermione saw no sign of the red-headed boy, but she did notice another man, who looked like he might be related to Ron, with the same flame red hair at the counter. She continued to browse the store, and noticed the redheaded man coming towards her.

"Do you need any help ma'am?" said the man.

"Actually, yes. I'm err...looking for...for something for my nephew. His birthday is next week and he loves your store."

"Ahh ok, well follow me and I'll show you great birthday gifts. My name is George by the way, and if anyone asks where you got the gifts, tell them I helped you." He said winking at her.

Hermione smiled at him."So, do you own the shop? Or, err, are you just an employee?" She asked, hoping to see if he would mention anything about his co-workers...

"Well my twin brother and I opened this store after we left Hogwarts, but then...well then he passed away...In the war." He said solemnly. But my younger brother Ron helps me out until he gets a better job. He's lookin' to be an Auror sometime in the future like his best friend. Gave the git a day off today, usually Fridays are slow with other things usually going on."

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear about your brother, but you seem to have quite the business going." said Hermione.

"Why thank you. My girlfriend helps out as well, with stock keeping and orders and things of that nature. I was never good at keeping track of things," he laughed.

"I just help people like you find what they're looking for," he smiled.

"Why thank you for your help, I'm sure my, err, nephew will love the gifts." Hermione smiled.

She followed him to the counter, but there was no sign of Ron anywhere. She was hoping that maybe he was hanging around, even though she was told that George gave him the day off.

Walking out into the cold once more, she gathered her belongings and walked a few feet out into the alley, when all of the sudden someone rams right into her, knocking her things out of her arms.

"I'm so sorry ma'am, let me help you" the man said.

"It's fine, it's fine. Thank you anyway..."

She stood up and came face to face with the red-haired man that she had met before tonight.

Hermione couldn't help but smile when she saw him. She laughed and looked at her feet, something she seemed to do when she was nervous.

"So you're back huh? I see you bought some things from the shop." he smiled.

"Yeah I figured I'd buy something for my...nephew's birthday next week..."

"Are you sure they aren't for you? I mean, adults love the jokes as much as the kids do." He laughed.

"Well, maybe one or two things, but shh, don't tell anyone," she said holding a finger up to her mouth.

"Hermione, right? He said studying her face.

"Yes, and you are Ron, correct?"

"Sure am. My brother gave me the day off today, but I'm just down here to tell him that the Chudley Cannons lost...Again..." he said, not acting surprised.

Hermione laughed. "They seem to like doing that don't they?" She said.

"Yeah they do...hey, would you like to join me down at the Leaky Cauldron for a butterbeer or something? I usually go by myself, or with Harry, but he's still at work...I mean if you don't want to, I could... " he said looking down the alley in a kind of blank stare.

"I'd love to." Hermione interrupted.

"Really? I mean, great!" he said looking back at her smiling.

"I was planning a night in alone because, well because I had nothing better to do..." She trailed off.

"Is this better than nothing?" He joked

Hermione smiled at him and they started walking down to the pub.


	3. Suspension

**Here's the third chapter! **

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"Hello Tom, how are things?" Ron asked. 

Both Ron and Hermione walked into the dimly lit, but cozy bar that smelled of butterbeer and pine. As it was getting near Christmas, Tom had set up a Christmas tree in the corner of the bar, hoping to get everyone who entered the bar into the Christmas spirit.

"Evenin' Ron, things are going, been slow for the past hour. Hermione! I didn't know you two knew each other." Tom smiled at her.

Hermione and Ron both laughed in unison, knowing that they really don't know a thing about each other.

"Two butterbeers, Tom." Ron told the barman.

Behind the bar, Tom wiped two mugs clean as he got ready to treat them to the warm beverage, perfect for a frigid night like it had been tonight.

"The drink is on me little lady." He smiled at her. Hermione blushed and took a swig of the butterbeer.

"I know you from somewhere..." He said, eyeing her suspiciously.

The first thing that Hermione thought of was Viktor. She hadn't thought about him for a few days, but she couldn't help but think that that's how he recognized her.

"Maybe it's the fact that you knocked all of my belongings out of my hand in the middle of Diagon Alley..." She laughed, trying not to make it obvious that he probably knew her because she dated Viktor Krum.

He laughed and continued to drink his butterbeer. There was something about this girl that made him feel comfortable. He couldn't help but smile when he looked at her.

"So...You know where I work...so what do YOU do?" Ron asked.

"Well, I work at the ministry. I'm head of the department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures. Basically I make sure everyone is doing their job correctly."

"My best mate, Harry, he works as an Auror for the Ministry. Maybe you've seen him around."

"Now that you mention it I have passed by him once or twice. Never spoke a word to him though...When I was in your shop, your brother offered to assist me. He told me that you wanted to be an Auror one day, is it true?" she asked.

"Ahh so you met my brother...And yes it is true. Right now I'm just taking it slow. I'm trying to save up money for my own flat, and then I'll eventually take the time for Auror training. I live with my brother above the shop, did he tell you that too?" He smile at her.

She nodded, setting down her glass. Christmas was possibly Hermione's favorite holiday. It reminded her of being a kid and going to Christmas parades and playing in the snow. The atmosphere in the bar at that moment was just so reminiscing as her eyes wandered, looking at the colored Christmas lights, and the decorated tree. Drinking butterbeer made it that much better. They had been sitting in silence for a few short minutes until Hermione fell out of her daze. She didn't want the conversation to die, even though she could sit there for hours not talking to him and still feel comfortable, so she asked the first thing that came to mind.

"So I'm assuming you aren't seeing anyone at the moment? I mean, do you have a girlfriend?"

She said this without even thinking. Feeling a bit embarrassed at the forwardness of the questions, she decided to go along with it anyway, hoping he wouldn't notice how much she was blushing.

"I wouldn't have asked you to have a drink with me if I didn't right?" He smiled at her before taking a drink of butterbeer, noticing that she was in fact blushing.

"And I assume...since you said agreed to have this drink...that you are also without a significant other..."

She nodded from above her glass. "Actually, my ex-boyfriend and I sort of... just broke up. I'm sort of glad though, he was really getting to me, he was quite immature, especially for his age."

"He's probably a bloke for letting such a pretty young lady like you go."

Hermione was blushing so deeply at this point that she couldn't help do anything but laugh.

"I'm sure he's not too upset, that _bloke _could probably get any girl he wants. But I'd rather not talk about him." She stared at her mug.

He stared at her for a few seconds.

"You seem like a very interesting girl. I'm glad I bumped into you today...I mean, not glad that I knocked everything out of your hands but...well you understand where I'm going." He laughed.

Ron looked at her in a way that made her blush. He seemed to have a way of making her do that too much. Hermione had knots in her stomach. Not because she was nervous, but because he made her feel something she had never felt before for Viktor. Not necessarily love, but comfort. It was comforting to know that someone was interested in her like he was.

"Tom, another two butterbeers, please!"

"Comin' right up kid."

The two continued to talk for what seemed like hours. This wasn't a normal "date" for Hermione. Viktor usually took her to fancy restaurants, and theater dinner dates, and even boat cruises on the Thames River. This was definitely a change from what she considered "normalicy" with Viktor, although it wasn't really odd for someone that didn't have the money that Viktor had. She enjoyed this. It was simple, yet more personal than a normal dinner or boat cruise.

"It's getting late. I should probably get going," she said looking at her watch.

Not necessarily wanting to leave, she knew she had to get home to feed Crookshanks and clean herself up.

"Can I walk you home?" Ron asked

"I was planning on taking the bus. It's what I usually do instead of disapparating. I tend to get the worst headaches after I disapparate, and only do it if it's absolutely necessary."

"Well you're going to have a little trouble tonight, the buses stopped running at 10pm. It's already 11." He laughed.

"Oh Merlin, you're right..." she said smiling, rolling her eyes at herself.

Hermione looked at her watch for a few seconds.

There was the choice of disapparating and being home in 2 minutes, or walking with Ron and being there in 20 or so.

"Do you want to walk with me? I mean, if you still want to. I'd much rather walk and get a little exercise than disapparate and get a headache," she said smiling.

"I suppose I could do that." Ron gave a little laugh.

He stood up and pulled some coins out of his pockets to pay for the drinks.

"Good evening Tom. See you around!" Ron said placing the money on the bar, with a little extra for a tip.

"You two be careful! See you later." He said giving them a salute.

The two walked out of the Leaky Cauldron and into the night. They walked in silence for about a block until Ron mentioned something about freezing his arse off.

"You should have worn a jacket."

Ron laughed. It was so like her to say something like that. She thought about it and laughed out loud.

He looked at her and gave her a funny smile.

"I'm sorry," she laughed, "that's just like me to say something like that, and sometimes I can't help but just laugh at myself."

"If you can't laugh at yourself, I'm sure someone will." he winked at her. She felt her cheeks get warm, but smiled back at him.

"Well, here we are. Thank you for the drink. It was a nice change of what I'm used to." Smiling, Hermione continued up the few steps to her front door. Turning around, she saw him standing there staring at her with his hands pockets. He smiled at her when she looked at him, and took a hand out of his pocket to wave.

"Goodnight Hermione."

She smiled and waved back. "See you around."

Hermione walked inside her flat and closed the door, leaned against it and grinned.

Outside, Ron walked down the sidewalk to be on his way, only he forgot to ask her out on another date. He wanted to see her again as soon as possible.

Running back up to her door, he knocked. Almost immediately she opened the door and was standing there staring back at him with an odd expression.

"I forgot to ask...can I see you again? I mean...can we like...go on a date, or err, get another drink or something..." he trailed off._"I'm never this nervous, why right now..."_

She watched him curiously as he sputtered out these words.

"I'd love to." she finally said, smirking.

"Oh...great! I'll see you then?"

He walked down her stoop onto the pavement, and continued to stride home, looking back at her.

"Tomorrow?" She shouted. He seemed to forget the minor detail of asking her when they would meet again.

Ron stopped and turned around. He hit himself in the head with his hand, and laughed. "Yes that's perfect, I'm glad you remembered to ask. Are you busy tomorrow around 4?"

"Now I am." She grinned at him. "Goodnight Ron."

He smiled and walked off. Hearing him faintly disapparate in the distance, she walked back inside her flat wishing it were tomorrow already.

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_Read and Review! It's the first story i've ever written so i supposed it isn't fantastic, but i like the idea!_


	4. The Date

**Oh wow, this is my longest chapter yet! Sweet. Enjoy.**

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Hermione felt like she just had the best nights sleep in a long time. Not only did she have her bed all to herself for the past few weeks, but she finally had a night where she didn't wake up thinking about work or her platonic feelings for Viktor. The snow had started coming down overnight, and her outside windowsill was overrun by bright white snow. The streets and sidewalks weren't exactly as bright because it had melted from the morning sun and pedestrians, but there were still signs of it on street lights and on tops of cars. 

Looking at the clock blinking 9, Hermione smiled at the fact that she had a date later in the day, although she didn't want to leave the warm confines of her pillow ridden bed just yet. It would be another half hour before she rose out of her princess-like bed. The sound of eggs, bacon, and nice cup of hot chocolate sounded perfect as her bare feet hit the ice cold floor of her kitchen, followed by her turning the heat up on the thermostat.

Hermione wasn't exactly sure how the rest of her day was going to be before the date, and she knew that the only option she had beside sitting at home waiting anxiously was, yes, shopping. Shopping was her one outlet whenever her and Viktor had a row. She figure for her first date with a different guy in 3 years she might as well take a shopping trip for a new outfit.

The aroma of the bacon filled her flat as she began cracking eggs into a frying pan. This was her first real breakfast since Viktor had gone, and again, it was nice having the place to herself while she cooked. Hermione felt so wonderful at this point that she walked over to the dusty old stereo sitting in the corner of the kitchen counter and blasted the radio. The song "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey had just came on the radio, a classic that her parents loved to play for her when she was a child.

"_Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely worlddddd, she took the midnight train goin' anywhere!"_ she bellowed the lyrics and danced to the tune whilst flipping her bacon. It was actually quite rejuvenating to be able to sing as loud as she wants without someone like Viktor ruining her moment.

"_Don't stop, believin', hold onto that feelin'!" _

The song came to a close as her breakfast was sliding onto her plate. For some reason, her day had barely started, and it was already fantastic, especially being able to dance in the kitchen with her pajamas on to one of her favorite tunes and not be bothered. As she pranced upstairs to her bedroom to take a hot shower, her smile widened when she thought about Ron and what he would have thought if he had walked in while she was having her "moment."

Even with the thermostat set at 80 degrees, she was still shivering walking out of the steaming bathroom. Her clothes were set out on her bed and she climbed into them as quickly as possible before she got too cold.

Hermione walked downstairs with a smile on her face, on her way to get some important shopping done. There was one thing that had just ruined the moment though.

"Jesus Viktor, you scared the living...how did you get in here?! Why are you here?" Hermione yelled, holding her hands to her chest.

"I told you I vould be back for my things." He said waving his keys in the air. Apparently she forgot that he had a set to her apartment.

Glaring at him with the most unpleasant look, she quickly walked towards him, and grabbed the keys out of his hand so that he could no longer come into her flat unannounced.

"Next time you plan on barging into my home, let me know..." She said with a stern voice.

"Next time remember to get your keys from me, and it won't happen again." He said in a low voice. "Now, I'll be on my way once I get all of my things. I have a truck outside, it shouldn't take long..." He said looking at her with a sort of sad, yet serious face.

She ignored him while he took his things, merely waiting until he had left to leave to go shopping. For some reason she didn't trust him being alone in her flat without her there.

Viktor dragged a bag of clothes from upstairs and threw it in the back of the truck. Not much was left that was Viktor's, after all it had been her flat before he moved in with her a year after they had started dating.

He stood at her doorstep to say goodbye.

"Well, good luck Hermione..." Viktor said, nodding his head towards her.

She felt sort of bad for being such an arse to him when he had showed up. Walking up to him she gave him one last hug, and said her goodbye. Her smile had faltered walking back into her apartment after he had left. She felt horrible for acting the way she did, but still satisfied with her decision to let him go in the least.

Hermione tried flooding her mind with good thoughts, as Viktor had rid her of her perfect morning, before his arrival.

"_I must get going, shopping will get my mood back to where it was before__**he**__ showed up..."_ She thought to herself.

Looking into her jacket closet under the stairs, she pulled out one of her favorite winter coats. It was a thick white coat with a faux fur hood (she would never even consider getting anything that wasn't faux...) that matched her outfit perfectly. She stepped out into the sleet covered sidewalk and headed towards the bus. Her shopping would take place at the shops downtown, hoping to find something not too expensive, but warm and coy. She ended up finding the perfect hooded maroon sweater that accentuated her figure flawlessly.

By the time she reached her flat, it was already 2:30pm, and she had not cleaned up her flat or started getting ready for her meeting with Ron. Running around her home, she picked up empty cartons of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, some pop bottles and a box of pizza that had a few pieces of crust in it. She rarely had guests, but her flat was always as clean as could be otherwise. By the time she had managed to clean her flat, it was around 3pm, and she had about an hour to get ready for her rendezvous.

She decided to go casual, hoping it was just that, and considering the weather outside was freezing, she didn't want to wear something to revealing. She donned her brand new maroon sweater, a pair of her favorite black slacks, and a pair of fashionable black winter boots with faux fur fixed to them. They complimented her outfit perfectly as she rummaged through her jacket closet in search of a coat to wear as well. Her findings consisted of a black button up overcoat that wore down to about her knees with a (once again) faux fur hood lining.

* * *

It was 4 o'clock and she was ready for him whenever he was to arrive. About 10 minutes went by and she heard a knock at the door. Her stomach began doing flips as she was walking towards the door.

"Hey Hermione, sorry I'm late...I had to take a little detour." He smiled and held out a bouquet of pink roses.

"Ron! You didn't have to. They are beautiful." she said smiling and then blushing. "Come in, you must be freezing!"

This was one of the sweetest gestures someone has done for her in ages. When her and Viktor started dating he had gotten her flowers, but that was the last time she had received any, except when her mother had sent her some for her twentieth birthday last year.

Ron stood at the door until he got the go ahead from Hermione to sit down. Ever since he visited his aunt Muriel, he had never sat down on a couch unless prompted to. His Aunt Muriel cursed him for sitting on her couch because it was older than she was and was only there for "decoration," even though he saw her cats lying on it.

"You can sit down if you'd like," she said almost immediately after allowing him inside her flat. "I'm just going to get a vase for these flowers. Did you want something to drink, tea perhaps? Coffee? Hot chocolate? It's rather cold out, I'll make you something if you'd like."

Hermione had a habit of rambling when she was nervous.

Ron smiled and nodded as he took off his coat and laid it on the corner of the couch. "I'll take some tea if you don't mind. Nice place you got here by the way."

"Oh thank you, I'm rather fond of it, the location is wonderful. I've been here for about 3 years now. I didn't want to live with my parents after school, so once I had gotten the job at the Ministry, I moved here."

He studied her flat curiously, looking at the decorations of photographs and perfectly matched furniture. It wasn't until he looked closely at a photograph sitting on the coffee table that he noticed that the picture was of Hermione and Viktor Krum hugging in the middle of Trafalgar Square.

"Hermione are you...were you...how do you know Krum?"

Her heart suddenly fell. She realized that she forgot to take down the pictures of her and Viktor after their breakup.

"Oh well, err..." She faltered as she was standing in the kitchen making the tea. Well, since he asked, might as well tell him now...

"Actually...um, he's my ex boyfriend. I broke up with him and kicked him out of my flat. We lived together for 2 years."

Ron looked at her curiously. He didn't understand why she didn't tell him in the first place.

"Really now?...I knew I've seen you before...When did you spilt?" He was pretty calm about the whole situation thankfully, but inside he was upset that she hadn't mentioned it before.

"It's been about 3 weeks now... We fought all of the time, and I just got so fed up with him that I kicked him out. I'm not sure how I put up for as long as I did. I guess all of the fame got to his head. I'm sorry I didn't mention it before..." she said looking at him from the kitchen.

He could see the sincerity in her eyes as she told him that she was sorry.

"I mean, it's not a big deal really, he seems like a lame bloke anyways..." he said chuckling a bit.

She laughed a little but still felt guilty for not telling him. "I guess the reason I stayed for him so long was because no one else really noticed me. But then I realized that I didn't want to be in that kind of relationship. It's funny what you do when you think you never stand out." she looked down at her feet.

He looked at her and smiled. "I think you stand out."

She looked up at him and saw the serious smile he had on his face and knew that he meant what he said.

"You mean that..." she said smirking.

He smiled. "I never say things I don't mean."

Hermione turned back to the tea, and blushed. "The tea is ready."

"Wonderful. I have this place that I want to take you tonight, for dinner. It's a wonderful place, local you know."

She smiled at him. "Here you are." she handed him his tea. She went back to the kitchen and grabbed the vase of flowers and placed them on the coffee table in front of them. He smiled at her.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, both sneaking glances at each other in the meantime.

"Are you ready to go then?" she said to him taking his and her empty tea cup.

"As ready as I'll ever be." he said standing up.

The pair of them grabbed their coats and headed out towards the restaurant that he had picked out. They took the bus a few blocks and reached a corner bistro situated next a small park across from the river.

She had never seen or heard of this place before, only living a few blocks from its destination.

"This place has the best sandwiches, and French onion soup. My mum used to take my brothers and sister here when we would come to the city."

They sat down inside the warm restaurant and ordered drinks. The bistro smelled of wonderful pastries, fruits, and teas. It was very cozy and down to earth, nothing like what Viktor would have taken her to.

"So Viktor Krum huh? What's he got that I don't have? Well, besides money...You know, he's not _that_ good looking..." he joked.

This made her laugh. "He doesn't have something I call personality. It's a shame that I didn't notice that in the first place."

It was almost 8 o'clock when they finished their meal. They had been sitting at the bistro for almost 4 hours just sitting, talking, and enjoying each others company. Ron argued that because he asked her on the date that he'd pay for the meal, but Hermione refused, and argued that she should at least paid for half of it. They ended up both agreeing that he would pay the bill, and she would leave the tip, and a generous one it was considering they were there for four hours.

It was almost a perfect day for Hermione if it hadn't been for Viktor. The snow had started coming down lightly as they walked out of the bistro, both smiling over their "argument" about the bill.

"I want to show you something." Ron said, grabbing her hand and guiding her a little ways down the street. They reached a small boat dock that was chained off to anyone but the owners. Of course that didn't stop Ron from climbing over the gate and picking the inside lock.

"My brothers Fred and George used to down here whenever my mum and dad brought us down here. They would take me with them, and lock me on the other side of the gate. They got in trouble when my mum realized that I was missing and crying on the dock. Twice they did it, but the second time I managed to pick the lock. 'Suppose you could climb over it, but I was too short at the time to reach the top and pull myself over." He laughed as her opened the gate for her.

Hermione smiled at his story, closing the gate behind her.

"I always come down here by myself, you know, just to get away and have some quite time to myself. Only at night, otherwise someone will catch you trespassing."

The view from the dock was amazing. The lights on of London across the river were brighter than she had ever seen. Snow was coming down lightly as the two of them stood on the dock in silence, both folded arms, shivering from the cold.

"You know Ron," she said turning her head towards him, "This has probably been the best date I've ever been on. Viktor was the kind of guy to show off his money for me. I hated it. I love this. Its just so..." she trailed off and sighed as she smiled at the view.

"I'm just thinking of the right words to say...I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be...but I like you Hermione. A lot. You are so different than any other girl I've come across and frankly I think you are beautiful."

She looked at him, biting her lip and smirking. Her stomach did flips. Just the way he looked at her made her go crazy. Not knowing what to say, Hermione thought of the only things else she could do without saying something to ruin the moment. She uncrossed her arms and stepped closer to him, looking down at her feet.

"You are amazing." She looked up at him. They could feel each others warm breath snaking down each others necks. Slowly, she leaned towards him and kissed him lightly on the lips. He moved on of his hands to the back of her head and the other on her waist. The kiss grew deeper as she moved her arms and wrapped them around his neck. For her, this was like something out of a movie. No one had ever kissed her the way he was, and no one had made her feel like she was going to explode with happiness the way he did when he looked at her.

They pulled apart and he nuzzled his head into her neck hugging her.

"I'm freezing..." he whispered into her ear.

She laughed and took an arm from around him and took his hand.

She stood on her toes and whispered in his ear. "I have the perfect idea."she smiled at him and guided him as they walked together down the street towards the bus stop.

* * *

**No, they aren't doing what you think! But I'm not too sure how the rest of the story is going to turn out, so if you have any ideas, let me know! Read and Review:)**


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